Enlightened Vagabond

🤓 Admin Zone 🛠️ hidden to non-admins
view on research edit on research Add an excerpt Add a bilingual page Add full text subpage

Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche.

Book

Influence and Reception of Śāntideva's Works in India and Beyond

LibraryBooksBibliography PDF Link

Please note that many items in our library are simply pages that represent a detailed library catalog entry and citation of someone else's work, presentation, or performance. Read our General Disclaimer for more information.

People

Descriptionངོ་སྤྲོད།

In the 1970s, with the goal of preserving the oral tradition, Matthieu Ricard began collecting stories of Patrul Rinpoche (dpal sprul rin po che) (1808-1887). Many of the sources for these accounts were personally acquainted with direct students of Patrul Rinpoche. This book is a collection of many of these brief anecdotes, translated into English, supplemented by excepts from two written biographies (namthar), which have been arranged roughly in chronological order to read as a larger biographical account.

These are stories of a humorous and inspirational nature, a record of oral tradition rather than scholarly history. Perhaps few but Matthieu Ricard, with decades of intimacy with such a number of Tibetan masters, could have collected so many stories and recounted them in such moving English.

This book also contains short biographies of a number of Patrul Rinpoche's masters, disciples, and influences, illustrations, glossary, and finely detail source information. (Source: Shambhala Publications)

Citation

Ricard, Matthieu, trans. Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche. Edited by Constance Wilkinson. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2017.

Table of contents

List of Illustrationsxv
Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lamaxvii
Foreword by Alak Zenkar Rinpochexix
Foreword by Jigme Khyentse Rinpochexxi
Prefacexxiii
Introductionxxxv

Beginnings1
The Palge Lineage2
Infant Patrul4
Patrul's Root Guru4
Little Monk6
Patrul Takes On a Powerful Adversary8
The Palge Tulku Goes His Own Way8
Patrul the Scholar11
Do Khyentse Takes Patrul by Surprise12
» A Piece of Advice14
Patrul Tries to Offer Prostrations15
Patrul’s Teacher Demonstrates Clairvoyance15
Patrul Lectures Himself on His Practice16
Patrul Receives a Special Transmission16
The Boulder Reminder17
Patrul and the Paramita of Patience17
» Drive Them Off with Stones18
Patrul and the Prescient Monk24
Flowers Magically Appear24
A Robber Sets His Sights on an Offering of Silver25
Patrul on Having Things26
Patrul Practices in a Haunted Charnel Ground27
A Meeting of Two Minds27
"You’ve Ruined It!"27
Patrul's Gift of Tea28
The Haunted Fortress29
Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu and the Harmful Spirit30
Patrul and the Three Dargye Monks30
Patrul Mentions His Past Lives31
Lungtok Meets His Root Master32
An Insight into Patrul’s Mind33
» The Crucial Points of Practice33
Patrul’s Offering to the Horseflies36
Patrul Finds His Limit37
Developing Empathy, Understanding Emptiness37
Lungtok’s Dream38
Patrul Introduces Lungtok to the Nature of Mind39
Lungtok Learns Backward40
Lungtok Practices in the Glacier Wilderness41
The Great Master Patrul42
A Monk Makes a Full Confession43
Patrul Waits in Line to Receive a Blessing44
Patrul Paints Some Tormas45
Patrul Passes Dargye Monastery Again47
Patrul and the Widow48
Patrul's Teachings Inspire All Beings50
Patrul Acts as a Servant50
Patrul Takes Tea with a Little Girl52
Patrul and the Tossed Louse52
Just Sitting on His Bed53
A Tulku Has a Change of Name54
Patrul Tries to Meet Shabkar54
The Land of the Insect-Eaters55
Patrul Meets an Exemplary Monk56
Patrul’s Dedication to Practice57
Patrul Pacifies a Blood Feud58
Patrul Practices in the Ari Forest Wilderness60
Patrul and the Venue of Vultures62
Patrul Practices Tummo in a Blizzard62
Lungtok’s Mother63
Patrul Gives Teachings in the Forest64
Far-Reaching Effects of Patrul’s Teachings66
Lungtok and the Bandit Chief66
Do Khyentse’s Hospitality67
The Gift From Lungtok’s Mother69
"That’s It!"70
Adzom Drukpa's Dilemma71
Patrul Is Asked to Bestow Special Teachings72
Visible Effects of Yoga73
Animate and Inanimate Dances74
Patrul Laughs Over an Old Man’s Corpse74
Nine Brothers Delight Patrul76
Patrul Reads Tertön Sogyal’s Mind76
Patrul’s Miraculous Recovery77
Patrul and Chokgyur Lingpa77
Patrul Expresses Confidence in Chokgyur Lingpa78
Patrul’s Pointing-Out Instruction for an Old Nomad79
» On the Nature of Mind80
An Offering of Silver82
Patrul and Chokgyur Lingpa’s Yellow Parchment82
Another Offering of Silver83
» One Taste84
Karmai Khenpo Rinchen Dargye Requests Teachings86
Patrul Receives Teachings from an Old Lama88
Patrul Is Taught His Own Teachings89
Patrul Asks the Great Kathok Situ for a Favor92
The Key to Practice93
» Advice for Garwang from the Eastern Gorges of Gyalmo Rong94
Patrul Receives Teachings from the Mahasiddha of Trom96
Chöying Rangdröl Demonstrates Higher Perception98
Gyalwa Changchup’s Prediction99
Seeking an Audience with a Very Important Lama99
Seeking an Audience with Another Very Important Lama101
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Countermands Patrul’s Advice101
Patrul and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo103
Patrul Is Upset and Disappears104
Patrul and Lama Mipham105
Patrul in Awe105
Estimations and Rankings106
Among You Three Great Masters106
Patrul Leaves Dzogchen Monastery107
» Advice to Myself108
Patrul’s Pain112
Patrul Teaches Khenpo Yönten Gyatso113
Patrul Judges a Great Debate114
Advice for Alak Do-ngak115
Two of a Kind116
Patrul Goes Begging for Food116
Lungtok Leaves His Lama117
How Patrul Taught at the Willow Hermitage118
» Longing for Solitudes119
Patrul Receives an Extraordinary Guest120
Patrul Meets Two Murderers121
Patrul Teaches the Great Perfection at Trama Lung123
Food for a Day Is Plenty124
Patrul Is Distraught124
Patrul and the Learned Geshe125
The Quick-Thinking Lama126
The Lotus-Grove Play127
Patrul Is Tricked by a Nomad Family130
Patrul Is Tricked by Another Nomad Family132
Patrul’s Patrician Manners132
Patrul’s Rude Manners133
Some Love Him, Some Fear Him134
Patrul’s Respect for the Natural Course of the Elements134
» Words of Warning135
Patrul Gives Away a Fine Mandala140
Beggars and Mani-Stone Carvers141
Patrul Begs for More Beggars142
Patrul Accepts What He Is Given143
Patrul Practices Yoga145
Patrul Travels in an Unusual Way146
Patrul Receives Lo-nga Tulku146
Lo-nga Tulku and Patrul’s Carpet147
Meeting the 3rd Dodrupchen147
Meeting with a Yogi148
First Teaching of the 3rd Dodrupchen148
Second Visit of the 3rd Dodrupchen150
Patrul’s Encampment150
Wangchok Dorje’s Renunciation151
The Return of Wangchok Dorje153
Khenchen Tashi Özer Tries to See Patrul154
Khenpo Könchog Drönme Tries to See Patrul156
Trama Tulku Receives Instructions156
Patrul’s Last Great Public Ganachakra157
Last Days and Hours158
After Patrul’s Death159
Patrul’s Unique Qualities161
» Calling the Lama from Afar: A Song of Devotion and Yearning167

Biographical Notes: Influential Figures, Masters, and Disciples175
- Adzom Drukpa176
- Alak Do-ngak Gyatso177
- Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa178
- Chöying Rangdröl179
- Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje180
- Dola Jigme Kalzang183
- Gyalse Shenphen Thaye184
- Gyurme Pema Namgyal, 3rd Shechen Gyaltsap185
- Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye186
- Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo189
- Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu192
- Jigme Lingpa194
- Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso195
- Jigme Phuntsok Jungne, 2nd Dodrupchen196
- Jigme Tenpai Nyima, 3rd Dodrupchen197
- Jigme Trinley Özer, 1st Dodrupchen198
- Karmai Khenpo Rinchen Dargye200
- Kathok Situ (2nd), Chökyi Lodrö Orgyen Tenpa Namgyal200
- Khenchen Tashi Özer201
- Khenpo Kunzang Palden (Khenpo Kunpel)202
- Khenpo Pema Dorje203
- Khenpo Shenphen Chökyi Nangwa (Khenpo Shenga)204
- Khenpo Yönten Gyatso (Khenpo Yonga)205
- Lama Mipham Rinpoche205
- Longchen Rabjam (Longchenpa)208
- Mingyur Namkhai Dorje213
- Minyak Kunzang Sönam214
- Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpai Nyima215
- Önpo Orgyen Tendzin Norbu (Önpo Tenga)215
- Pema Dechen Zangpo, 3rd Mura Tulku218
- Rogza Sönam Palge219
- Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdröl220
- Shechen Öntrul Gyurme Thuthop Namgyal222

Notes223
Glossary247
Sources255
- About the Contributors255
- Sources for Stories259
- Sources for Biographical Notes265
- Written Sources268
Acknowledgments271
Index277

Interconnections

Works related to this item

1 Full translations

Ricard, Matthieu. Kun spangs kun tu rgyu: Dpal sprul rin po che'i rnam thar dang gdams pa (Enlightened Vagabond). New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2025.

Tibetan Publications2025About this item

The Tibetan translation of Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche. Originally published by Shambhala Publications in 2017.

2 Contains chapter or part

Ricard, Matthieu. "Patrul and Lama Mipham." In Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche, 105–6. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2017.

Articles2017About this item

Ricard, Matthieu. "Patrul and Lama Mipham." In Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche, 105–6. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2017.

Ricard, Matthieu. "The Great Master Patrul; A Monk Makes a Full Confession; Patrul Waits in Line to Receive a Blessing." In Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche. Edited by Constance Wilkinson, 42–45. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2017.

Articles2017About this item

Ricard, Matthieu. "The Great Master Patrul; A Monk Makes a Full Confession; Patrul Waits in Line to Receive a Blessing." In Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche. Edited by Constance Wilkinson, 42–45. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2017.

1 Scholarly presentations

Ricard, Matthieu. "Enlightened Vagabond by Patrul Rinpoche." Produced by Thinley Norbu Jan 26, 2025. Video, 13:13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7knwRZNiqI.

MultimediaAbout this item

Matthieu Ricard talks about his book Enlightened Vagabond, which is a collection of stories about Patrul Rinpoche.

2 Interviews

Ricard, Matthieu. "In Conversation with Matthieu Ricard: Enlightened Vagabond." Produced by BDG: Buddhistdoor Global July 19, 2021. Video, 1:09:52. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm8AAXogMgI.

MultimediaAbout this item

"In conversation with Matthieu Ricard" was an English-language presentation hosted over Zoom by our sister site, Buddhistdoor en Español (BDE) and Padmapani, of the Spanish edition of Matthieu Ricard's new book Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche. Held on July 19, 2021 via Zoom

Ricard, Matthieu. "On His Experience Writing about the Life Stories of Enlightened Masters." Interview by Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Conversations on Buddha-Nature Series 1. October 24, 2020. Video, 7:18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlKT8DOFYV4.

MultimediaAbout this item

Excerpt from "Conversations on Buddha-Nature" with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho